Aboveground Storage Tank (AST) Leaks
Not to be an alarmist, but an out of service heating oil AST is a ticking $10,000 bomb waiting to go off and that's if you're lucky.

AST Facts
1. Rust never sleeps.

2. Every metal tank will corrode, and holes will form and oil will leak out.
3. Tanks are NEVER empty, there is always residual, just like a tube of toothpaste. But tanks are larger so more residual oil.
4. There is 100% no good reason to not decommission an out of service AST because doing so is thousands of dollars cheaper than a cleanup which we have some that have run $25,000 to $50,000 when the oil runs to the sub pump and oil is thrown on your backyard. The photo below is one such example.
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Nothing lasts forever and it is estimated that over 80% of aboveground heating oil tanks are beyond their designed life expectancy. Those that are storing oil in vessels, will likely have that vessel fail without notice. Your smoke alarm will chirp when the battery is low, your oil tank will leak without such notification.
What does an Aboveground Tank Leak?
Tanks do not better with age, they degrade. Water damage and condensation are two of the most common reasons that cause a tank to rust. Outside, your tank is exposed to humidity, rain, snow and ice. That can pile up on the tank during winter and can mean your aboveground tank stays in constant contact with water for months. In a basement, humidity (which also allows mold to grow) can corrode the tank shell, and moisture inside the tank will allow sludge to form that is acid and corrode the tank from the inside out. Yep your oil tank is not lubricated on the inside.
# 1 reason that unused AST is still on the property
Money $$, when the oil furnace died or voluntarily got replaced thousands of dollars were spent and the cost to remove the AST was cut from the budget. We do thousands of AST closures and cleanup every year in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware and 90% of these tanks have not been used in years. People try and save a dollar leave a tank to rust away, waiting to leak oil all over.
Trust me Curren Environmental would rather remove a non-leaking tanks.
When do heating Oil AST's leak?
Winter is the most popular time for an oil tank to fail. It is common when the weather changes that metal expands and contracts, opening up corrosion points in the tank shell and oil leaks. This is very common in the Northeastern United States from January through Spring. You see the metal of the tank contracts in winter with the cold, warm days allows the metal to expand. This contraction and expansion happens on the liquid in the tank as well as on the tank shell. In areas where the metal has rusted (think layers of an onion) this movement can allow the integrity of the tank to be breached. We see this every winter, some tanks are in use so hundreds of gallons of oil putting pressure against the shell of the tank further stresses the corrosion of the tank.
After the tank is filled. 7 lbs. to a gallon is a common gallons to weight measurement. 100 gallons equals 700 lbs., so an old tank filled with oil puts weight and pressure on the tank shell, rusty legs can break under this force. A full tank can also put pressure of rusts parts of the tank shell pushing oil through the rust.
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888-301-1050